Description: A strong, muscular, oceanic flying squid. Mantle long and slender; fins terminal, wide and strong, transversely rhomboidal or heart-shaped. Large head and eyes. Strong arms will well-developed protective membranes and swimming keels. Funnel groove with foveola, without side pockets. Funnel-locking cartilage with 2 deep grooves joined to each other forming an inverted-T shape. Dark purplish in colour. Ocular, visceral and mantle photophores absent.
Global Distribution: Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean, and South Atlantic. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum mantle length 750 mm (probably a female); 640 mm (male). Common size between 250 and 350 mm mantle length.
Age: Life span 1 or possibly 2 years.
Weight length rel.:
Growth type: Growth rate is high in the early life phase, slowing down with the onset of maturity.
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction: Spawning probably occurs throughout the year on the continental slope; but with a seasonal peak in late winter or early spring in the North Atlantic. Fecundity is high. Females reduce activity prior to spawning, which is intermittent, with a decrease in the number of eggs in each subsequent egg mass. Spawning occurs in deep waters, probably close to the bottom.
Maturity: Males mature earlier and at smaller sizes than females. Smallest mature males 170 - 180 mm mantle length; smallest mature females 200 - 210 mm mantle length (off North Africa). In the North Atlantic, males start to mature at 280 mm ML; 50% maturity for females between 460 - 480 mm ML.
Behavioural ecology: Performs diel vertical feeding-related migrations. May occur alone or in small groups.
Population structure & migrations: Studies point to the existence of separate populations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Males and females inhabit different feeding grounds and get together only during mating/spawning seasons. Males may remain year-round on the spawning grounds while females undertake feeding migrations.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: SeaLifeBase: 20 - 1947 m
Habitat: Nerico-oceanic; inhabits the continental slope, oceanic seamounts and islands, and adjacent oceanic waters.
Feeding habits: Feeds on fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods.
Trophic level:
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Minor commercial species. Commercially it is not distinguished from other flying squids of the family Ommastrephidae.
Conservation status: Least concern.
Nutritional information & food safety:
Proximate composition per 100 g:
energy value 75.3 kcal (3.8% DRV)
protein 16.8 g (33.6% DRV)
fat 0.4 g (0.6% DRV)
REFERENCES
Brennan M.H., Gormley T.R. (1999). The Quality of Under-utilised Deep-water Fish Species. The National Food Centre Research Report No. 22. The National Food Centre, Dublin, Ireland, 22 pp.
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Roper C.F.E., Nigmatulin C., Jereb P. (2010). Family Ommastrephidae. In Jereb P., Roper C.F.E., eds. Cephalopods of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cephalopod species known to date. Volume 2. Myopsid and Oegopsid Squids. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes No. 4, Vol. 2, Rome, pp. 269-347.
